Storing kayak on the car

I left my adventure on my car for at least a week and found a small dent when the rack is. I used the air pressure and hot-water technique and it did a good job. There's a tiny bit of a depression left but its barely noticeable and I can't imagine it affecting the performance.

Moral of the story is: store your kayak properly unless you want to push out dents.

Sorry to hear. For the best protection from deformation it's best to store your kayak on it's side. A few eye bolts in the wall of your garage or storage place and ropes to hold it off the ground are cheap and effective.

Sorry to hear. For the best protection from deformation it's best to store your kayak on it's side. A few eye bolts in the wall and ropes to hold it off the ground are cheap and effective.

Timing as they say, is everything and since at this time, the post is about kayak storage, I have a question. What's with the "J" shaped bars or racks that people use for transporting their kayaks? Is it just for more room on the roof, by turning them up at an angle or is there some benefit to storing/transporting this way? I am going to install a ladder rack on my truck and can store my SOT flat and right side up, flat and up side down or ?? Keep in mind, I won't be using the rack for actual storage unless I'm on a road trip and don't have a choice. Otherwise, it will come off at the end of the day and back into the garage. As a "newbie" to kayaking and the NWKA forum, I appreciate the advice....peace

Sorry to hear. For the best protection from deformation it's best to store your kayak on it's side. A few eye bolts in the wall and ropes to hold it off the ground are cheap and effective.

Timing as they say, is everything and since at this time, the post is about kayak storage, I have a question. What's with the "J" shaped bars or racks that people use for transporting their kayaks? Is it just for more room on the roof, by turning them up at an angle or is there some benefit to storing/transporting this way? I am going to install a ladder rack on my truck and can store my SOT flat and right side up, flat and up side down or ?? Keep in mind, I won't be using the rack for actual storage unless I'm on a road trip and don't have a choice. Otherwise, it will come off at the end of the day and back into the garage. As a "newbie" to kayaking and the NWKA forum, I appreciate the advice....peace

Timing sure is everything, I got the Yakima bow down (J style) racks not too long ago. Yep, they make more room for more kayaks but also you strap the kayak from the sides and not the top. Much better for yaks as they're stronger from rail to rail as opposed top to bottom. Much less chance for deformation. I also noticed that it seems much more solid this way too. I'm pretty happy with it so far but will have to use for a bit more to get the final verdict.

Sorry to hear. For the best protection from deformation it's best to store your kayak on it's side. A few eye bolts in the wall and ropes to hold it off the ground are cheap and effective.

Timing as they say, is everything and since at this time, the post is about kayak storage, I have a question. What's with the "J" shaped bars or racks that people use for transporting their kayaks? Is it just for more room on the roof, by turning them up at an angle or is there some benefit to storing/transporting this way? I am going to install a ladder rack on my truck and can store my SOT flat and right side up, flat and up side down or ?? Keep in mind, I won't be using the rack for actual storage unless I'm on a road trip and don't have a choice. Otherwise, it will come off at the end of the day and back into the garage. As a "newbie" to kayaking and the NWKA forum, I appreciate the advice....peace

Timing sure is everything, I got the Yakima bow down (J style) racks not too long ago. Yep, they make more room for more kayaks but also you strap the kayak from the sides and not the top. Much better for yaks as they're stronger from rail to rail as opposed top to bottom. Much less chance for deformation. I also noticed that it seems much more solid this way too. I'm pretty happy with it so far but will have to use for a bit more to get the final verdict.

Well, as mentioned, I'm a "newbie" to all of this. Am I going to be okay mounting my kayak flat, to the ladder rack? I could angle it but it's going on top of a F-350 and the last thing I need is even more height. Any suggestions as to how to secure it? I figured I would come up with some kind of dense or closed cell foam to pad it at the two points it will cross the bars. Since its a SOT, I was guessing it wouldn't matter if it were right side up or upside down, but am the first to admit, it was just a guess and am in no hurry to damage my new kayak.

Well, as mentioned, I'm a "newbie" to all of this. Am I going to be okay mounting my kayak flat, to the ladder rack? I could angle it but it's going on top of a F-350 and the last thing I need is even more height. Any suggestions as to how to secure it? I figured I would come up with some kind of dense or closed cell foam to pad it at the two points it will cross the bars. Since its a SOT, I was guessing it wouldn't matter if it were right side up or upside down, but am the first to admit, it was just a guess and am in no hurry to damage my new kayak.

If you where choosing between right side up or upside down, go with upside down.  That rests the kayak on its rails which are a lot more study and flat than on the bottom which is rounded.

-Allen

Good advice all around.

I gave the tiny depression another treatment of hot water but wasn't able to push it out much more. Howver, its really minor now, barely noticeable when you run your hand alongside.

Also, if you are going to store your yak outside or on your vehicle for an extended time, you may want to cover it to avoid sunburn.

Another thing I noticed was improved fuel economy when the kayak was on the J-hooks rather than upside down. Not the case, i'm sure, with everyone.  I also found them easier to load the kayak onto when loading the the kayak by myself.

My Hobie has two "grooves" down the bottom that line up with the scupper and seat drain holes. I cut two pieces of 1" schedule 40 PVC 74" long and covered them with polyethylene pipe insulation. I put my yak up on my Subaru's rack right side up, and then roll the yak to the side and slip these rails into the grooves. This lifts the yak off the crossbars, and provides support longitudinally rather than transversely, and hopefully is less likely to deform.